Colorado’s contenders

With the primary elections in Colorado occurring on Nov. 8, candidates are campaigning and propping themselves up while putting others down. To get the full reality of a candidate, this comprehensive list will talk about each person’s experience and focus on a few policy positions. This list will only include candidates that Colorado District 3 can vote on in the Senate, House and Gubernatorial races. 

National Senator candidates: 

• Michael Bennet (Incumbent, Democratic): Bennet has been a Senator for Colorado since 2009 and has been firm in his beliefs throughout that time. He earned a Juris Doctor from Yale before stepping into the world of politics. One of his main issues is abortion. Bennet has stated he would like contraceptives available to everyone and would like to codify Roe v. Wade into law. He also takes a stance on taxes and promotes the idea of taxing the rich and investing in working families. As for healthcare, Bennet is a supporter of lowered prices for medication and medical care. 
• Joe O’Dea (Republican): While O’Dea did not graduate college, he built a successful construction company from scratch that has been around for 30 years. Having been raised by a police officer, O’Dea focuses heavily on supporting police, firefighters and the military in his campaign. He also has stated he wants to stop raising the debt ceiling and address inflation in the United States to stabilize the economy. As for abortion, O’Dea supports the right to choose for women and uses the phrase “You live your life, I’ll live mine.”
• Frank Atwood (Approval Voting): Atwood graduated from Washington State University in 1976 and is a loyal follower of the Methodist faith. He has previously run for office as a Libertarian in the 2014 House election for District 1 in Colorado. Atwood is endorsed by the Approval Voting party as a presidential candidate for the next race in 2024 as well. Due to the lack of an official campaign website and minimal accessible information, there are not any policy stances to share for this candidate.
• T.J. Cole (Unity of Colorado): Cole is a Colorado native who has earned three undergraduate degrees, a law degree and PhD. Cole has served as a professor, college president, high school principal, district court magistrate, municipal court judge, reserve police officer, and deputy state public defender. He is a member of the American Judges Association, the Boulder Bar Association, the American Football Coaches Association and he is a certified law enforcement officer. Cole is a supporter of bipartisanship and promises to fight for rural areas to have better access to education and healthcare, as well as focusing on improving infrastructure. 
• Brian Peotter (Libertarian): Peotter is an aerospace engineer and is a heavily devoted Christian. He believes that life begins at conception and that abortion is wrong on all counts. Peotter focuses on election integrity in his campaign and states that the only voting option should be in person and on the same day. Further, his stance on gun rights is that we need to adhere to the Second Amendment and that background checks, magazine limits and bans on assault weapons are an infringement on that right. Peotter states that it is an act of war to disarm any American on his website.

Congressional District 3 candidates: 

• Lauren Boebert (Incumbent, Republican): Boebert is running for reelection after her first term as a representative in the House. She has a GED that she obtained in 2020, and owned a restaurant until it was recently shut down. She is a firm believer that abortion should not be legal in the United States and has voted with that view. Boebert also advocates for open carry in all public spaces and had servers do so in her restaurant. She is a mother of four boys and the first mother to represent District 3 in Colorado Another notable take of hers is that the country should focus on nuclear energy as a source to take over when oil and gas are no longer viable.
• Adam Frisch (Democratic): Frisch graduated from the University of Boulder and went on to work in local politics for most of his career. He was a part of Aspen’s city council before he decided to run for Congress. His campaign is endorsed by former Colorado Senator Don Coram, non-profit organization Restore the Balance and the largest federation of unions, AFL-CIO. Frisch has stated he wants to rebuild the middle class and restore the economy. He also promised to fight for water rights on the western slope as the next Colorado River Compact approaches. Further, he promises to fight for the rights of veterans and to have their service recognized. 

Governor candidates: 

• Jared Polis (Incumbent, Democratic): Polis was elected as the 43 Governor of Colorado in the last gubernatorial race. Before that, he started three successful businesses, including ProFlowers, one of the leading online flower shops. Along with that, Polis served as a House member for District 2 for over a decade before running for Governor. In his time in office, he has worked to cap prices of prescription drugs, such as insulin and cut taxes for small businesses. Polis plans to reach 100% renewable energy in Colorado by 2040 and has started that by improving public transportation to reduce emissions. If elected again, Polis promises to increase access to education and healthcare.
• Heidi Ganahl (Republican): Ganahl is best known for founding Camp Bow Wow, a canine daycare. Linked to that is the charity Bow Wow Buddies Foundation, which works on rehoming dogs. One of her campaign promises is to eliminate school district lines so that parents can choose which school their kid is placed at, as well as make the curriculum accessible to parents so that they have a say in it. Ganahl also plans to put $10 million toward fixing roads, tunnels and highways in Colorado if she is elected. She also plans to cut state income taxes completely, as well as implement a hiring freeze for government agencies. In her campaign, she promises to be a governor of law and order. Ganahl plans on making the possession of fentanyl a felony, reworking the justice system and backing all law enforcement.
• Paul Noel Fiorino (Unity of Colorado): Previously an unaffiliated candidate, Fiorino aligned himself with the Unity of Colorado party in 2020. He ran for City Council, Mayor, Senate and the House from 2016-2020 and ran for Governor in 2016. A big focus for Fiorino is the arts, specifically dance. He has stated he wants to work on initiatives to help museums, theaters and other arts thrive in Colorado, specifically Denver. He supports reforming the housing system to be more affordable and thinks that rent control could help with this goal. Fiorino also wants to expand public transportation as well as bike accessibility. 
• Danielle Neuschwanger (American Constitution): Neuschwanger is basing her campaign around the fact that she is the only Colorado native in the race. After graduating with a degree in Criminal Justice, she found herself starting a real estate business focused on helping other small businesses. One of her goals, if elected, is to install term limits and put “politicians last.” She stated that politicians think about themselves and reelection before thinking of the people they should be serving. Neuschwanger is a pro-life and pro-gun candidate but supports the right to choose when it comes to vaccines and other health mandates. Further, she would implement a yearly psychological evaluation and criminal background check for all teachers in Colorado.
• Kevin Ruskusky (Libertarian): After graduating from the University of Northern Colorado with a bachelor’s degree and Regis University with a teaching certificate, Ruskusky went on to teach elementary school, before becoming a high school teacher. He stated that his run for office was inspired by his love for Colorado and the want to improve the state. One of his main issues is the environment. He plans to protect against wildfires and drought, reallocate water supplies more fairly and build an alliance between green energy and oil and gas companies to work on solutions. A teacher for 20 years, Ruskusky is passionate about providing equal education access to the entire state. Further, he supports the Second Amendment strongly but states we need to recognize the gun deaths in our state and address those accordingly to reduce the number of shootings. 

Further information about each candidate can be found on their campaign websites. More candidates and legislation can be found on websites such as Blue Book and Ballotpedia.